Posts Tagged ‘poppy victoria cross’

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Normandy Landings, known as ‘D-Day’ and ranks as the boldest and most successful large-scale invasion in military history. Hundreds of men were sent to the front to help with the war effort. Today, Mr Fothergill’s asks Britain’s gardeners to mark the anniversary and help Chelsea Pensioner veterans by growing Poppy Victoria Cross again in 2019. 25p from each packet sold is donated to the Royal Hospital Charity.

Mr Fothergill’s joint managing director, David Carey, said: “We are proud to be supporting the Royal Hospital Chelsea and pleased to see so many gardeners joining with us to do that’.

Poppy Victoria Cross is a popular choice among gardeners and makes a fitting remembrance symbol with its bold white ‘crosses’ across single red flowers. Easy to grow and quick to flower from a spring sowing, this form of Papaver somniferum is ideal for informal borders and cottage garden settings. Its distinctive ‘pepper-pot’ seed heads are also useful in dried arrangements when flowering ends.

Established in 1682 by Charles II to provide a safe home for military veterans ‘broken by age or war’, the Christopher Wren-designed Royal Hospital admitted its first pensioners in 1692. The scarlet tunics and black tricorns of its residents and the Royal Horticultural Society’s Flower Show held in the Royal Hospital grounds every May are equally well known and respected around the world.

This Remembrance weekend, all proceeds from each packet of Mr Fothergill’s Poppy Victoria Cross sold will be donated to the Chelsea Pensioners of the Royal Chelsea Hospital Appeal.

Over the last four years we’ve been donating 25p from the sale of every packet of Poppy Victoria Cross to the Royal Hospital Chelsea. You’ve helped us to raise over £75,000 so far – that’s more than 300,000 packets and 75 million poppy seeds!

With the anniversary of the end of the Great War approaching, we thought it would be fitting to commemorate this special Armistice Day by donating the entire £2.10 packet price of Poppy Victoria Cross to the Chelsea Pensioners. This offer applies to all packets sold from now until midnight on Armistice Day, Sunday 11th November 2018.

The Royal Hospital Chelsea was established in 1682 by Charles II to provide a safe home for military veterans ‘broken by age or war’. The Christopher Wren-designed Royal Hospital admitted its first pensioners in 1692. Rachael Ferguson, corporate partnerships officer at the Royal Hospital Chelsea said “We are delighted at Mr Fothergill’s continued support, which is well known among and appreciated by the Chelsea Pensioners. The backing from the company and its thousands of customers, for which we are grateful, is quite remarkable”.

Please note that there is a £1.95 P&P charge for all seed orders, including single packets. However, this is a fixed charge no matter how many packets of seed you buy. Head to mr-fothergills.co.uk for more.

2018 is the hundredth anniversary of the end of World War I (1914-1918), and the Suffolk seedsman continues to support the Royal Hospital Chelsea (RHC). Mr Fothergill’s is delighted to announce that we have raised £73,000 for the charity since the first year of our partnership in 2014.

There are 1,000 stockists of the counter-top display units of fund-raising Poppy Victoria Cross around the UK, including Blue Diamond, Kew Gardens, RHS Gardens, QD stores and many leading garden centres. Mr Fothergill’s pledges 25p to the Royal Hospital’s charity for every packet of seed sold.

Commercial Director, Tim Jeffries, said: “We are proud to be supporting the Royal Hospital Chelsea and pleased to see so many gardeners joining with us to do that. While the centenary of World War I draws to a close in 2018, our close links with the RHC will see us supporting their important work for many years to come.”

Poppy Victoria Cross is a popular choice among gardeners and makes a fitting remembrance symbol with its bold white ‘crosses’ across single red flowers. Easy to grow and quick to flower from a spring sowing, this form of Papaver somniferum is ideal for informal borders and cottage garden settings. Its distinctive ‘pepper-pot’ seedheads are also useful in dried arrangements when flowering ends.

Established in 1682 by Charles II to provide a safe home for military veterans ‘broken by age or war’, the Christopher Wren-designed Royal Hospital admitted its first pensioners in 1692. The scarlet tunics and black tricorns of its residents and the Royal Horticultural Society’s Flower Show held in the Royal Hospital grounds every May are equally well known and respected around the world.

Retail sales of seed of Mr Fothergill’s Poppy Victoria Cross this spring (January to June 2014) have netted more than £24,000 for the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the Chelsea Pensioners, in the centenary year of the outbreak of the First World War. The Suffolk seedsman has also announced it will continue to support the organisation for at least another four years – until the centenary of the end of hostilities in 2018. Mr Fothergill’s pledges 25p to the Royal Hospital’s charity from every packet of 250 seeds priced at £1.85 it sells via its retail stockists during 2014.

Presenting a cheque for £24,462.50 to Chelsea Pensioner William ‘Paddy’ Fox,Mr Fothergill’s Seeds joint-managing director David Carey,said “Sales of Poppy Victoria Cross have been phenomenal this spring, making it our biggest selling variety. It just shows the huge support there is for our former armed service personnel among Britain’s millions of gardeners.”

Royal Hospital Chelsea fundraising manager Kate Marsh said: “On behalf of the Chelsea Pensioners, I would like to say how delighted we are to receive this incredibly generous donation from the sales of Mr Fothergill’s Poppy Victoria Cross seed. The funds raised will help us to provide the very best care and service to the Chelsea Pensioners, many of whom are taking part in First World War remembrance services across the country this year.

“Our sincere thanks to Mr Fothergill’s for their support and we hope more people are inspired to grow their beautiful Victoria Cross poppies.”

The Royal Hospital Chelsea was established in 1682 by Charles II to provide a safe home for military veterans ‘broken by age or war’, the Christopher Wren-designed Royal Hospital admitted its first pensioners in 1692. The scarlet tunics and black tricornes of its residents and the Royal Horticultural Society’s Flower Show held in the Royal Hospital grounds every May are equally well known and respected around the world.

Mr Fothergill’s campaign to raise funds for the work of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in the centenary year of the outbreak of the First World War (2014) has undoubtedly struck a chord both with its retail stockists and their customers.

There are 1,000 stockists of the counter-top display units of fund-raising Poppy Victoria Cross around the UK, including Homebase and many leading garden centres. And with a pledge of 25p to the Royal Hospital Chelsea’s charity from every packet of 250 seeds priced at £1.85, a sum of £11,000 has already been raised just a few weeks after the initiative’s launch.

“The support our campaign has received both from our stockists and from gardeners has been quite remarkable,” says Mr Fothergill’s product manager David Turner.

“We have had to reprint packets and display units to keep up with demand from our retailers. It is great to know our customers are backing the work of the Royal Hospital Chelsea Appeal”.

Poppy Victoria Cross is remarkable for the bold white ‘cross’ it bears across its single red flowers, which are borne through the summer. Easy to grow and quick to flower from a spring sowing, this form of Papaver somniferum is ideal for informal borders and cottage garden settings. Its distinctive ‘pepper-pot’ seedheads are also useful in dried arrangements when flowering ends.

Established in 1682 by Charles II to provide a safe home for military veterans ‘broken by age or war’, the Christopher Wren-designed Royal Hospital admitted its first pensioners in 1692. The scarlet tunics and black tricornes of its residents and the Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Showheld in the Royal Hospital grounds every May are equally well known and respected around the world.

The Royal Hospital’s fund-raising manager Kate Marsh explained “Donations from the sale of Mr Fothergill’s Victoria Cross Poppy will enable us to improve the facilities and living conditions of the Chelsea Pensioners as well as helping us to secure a future for those young soldiers serving in the British Army today”